Title: Occam's RazorRating: NC-17Pairings: Harry/ Draco, Harry/SeverusDisclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to J.K.Rowling and her book and film companies.Summary: Two years after the end of the war, only desperation could make Harry seek out the help of a one-time enemy.Warnings: Sex toys, rimming, bondageAuthor's notes: For celandineb, wrapped up in a pouffy bow: bondage, voyeurism, masturbation, toys, delayed orgasm, rimming, dirty talk, frottage, desperate!sex, shower!sex, spanking (implied), UST and a plot, oh my! Hope this makes your holiday a happy one! Also, a word of gratitude to my beta reader for her sharp eyes and 'devil's advocate' par excellence skills.

A thank you to gmth, whose years of hard work (read: countless hours of matching up participants, cracking the deadline whip, arranging pinch-hitters, smoothing ruffled feathers, recipient of much-deserved praise—and, it must be noted, a few piles of virtual shit—formatting and posting, in addition to—god only knows how she does it—reading every single fic) have enriched us beyond measure. All 'O's, full marks, and an award for 'Special Services' to the fandom for you!

I've been reading this, with many interruptions, for the last...oh, 16 hours, and now I am yawning and blinky. Heh.

Good lord. For one thing ...90,000 words? Seriously? Seriously?. And. I mean. 90,000 words that I kept reading. I am pleased with myself for (er. I dunwanna spoiler other people before they have a chance to read, so whiteout it is...) *being sure when Draco initially mentioned that he'd been there unconscious, that it was relevant, but I didn't figure out really where that was going until late in the game. I was sure there was a Horcrux, and contemplated whether it could be the mostly-blank journal, but decided that was too obvious (and laughed at myself for ever, in any fic with this title, thinking that, but still). I love the little portrait (I mean, I love that it's a physically small portrait that winds up having all this... well, I guess Harry says, power of intimidation and fascination and such).

There was a lot of smut, a lot, but it didn't seem unreasonable that there would be, that they would be such, uh, active boys and all. Also, I liked that Harry wrote in his journal and gave it back, voluntarily, both because it was voluntary balancing out for his own getting into Snape's business, and because I always like when people make adult Harry smart/thoughtful.

Minute nitpick for when you repost this elsewhere: unless I read it wrong, the first time Harry writes in the journal at the window, it says there's no moon, so he calls up a Nox; I think you meant Lumos. ;)*

So, when I saw your whited-out review, my heart jumped. I thought, 'Oh noes!', but then I smacked myself and settled down to read it....

First, thanks for catching that typo--my god, after all the times this thing's been read...but you know how that goes.

I've found it interesting how few readers actually took the title of the fic into consideration while reading...and I think that the journal would've been a reasonable guess, once you'd made the leap to Horcrux, which not many did, I was surprised to find out.

I appreciate what you had to say about a thoughtful and mature Harry. This was my first post-DH Snarry, and I've thought a great deal about how he would've changed as a result of canon. When I was about his age, I had a personal brush with death--I mean I realllllly really should've been dead, but I was lucky, or whatever. But it changed me profoundly, in ways I won't go into. I think that had to've happened with Harry, in a way that it didn't for Ron or Hermione. He was forced to face it, then lo and behold, the miraculous reprieve. Still eighteen on the outside, but given his makeup, irrevocably altered. Call it 'old before his time', but I happen to think that's a positive thing. When I think about the things I wish I would've known at twenty that I know now.

There've been discussions about his and Draco's relationship, whether or not it would be realistic that he'd choose Snape, or suffer that attraction for very long. I wasn't able to comment at the time, but what I would say has to do with his not being your average twenty year old, and like calling to like, and seeing more than skin deep, listening to his heart and realizing what he needed to live. So yes, I believe that this Harry, when it comes down to it, would be reasoned and sober and self-directed.

Whoa, *reads over that*, I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I had to say that somewhere. So, consider yourself afflicted. *g*. Thanks for reading, flora, and for taking time to leave such constructive feedback--I'm grateful.